DUNDEE UNITED are hopeful Nadir Ciftci will be let off the hook at Hampden today after the SFA rescinded his red card during last week’s clash with Inverness.

The striker was sent off in the League Cup quarter-final. He was accused of grabbing Graeme Shinnie’s face then doing the same to assistant ref Gavin Harris which saw the Dutch-born Turk hit with two further charges that could have seen him land a 16-game ban.

However, Record Sport can reveal United were informed by the SFA last week the original sending-off had been downgraded to a yellow and that will provide a big part of their defence.

Ciftci is set to appear at Hampden along with United boss Jackie McNamara and the club solicitor. They believe they have a strong case with club video evidence submitted supporting the frontman’s case in the alleged offence of grabbing the linesman.

After reviewing footage of the incident, McNamara claimed Ciftci had been unfairly singled out.

Meanwhile, Jackie McNamara has revealed how John Rankin hasn’t looked back since their heart-to-heart earlier in the season.

The Arabs midfielder showed his dissatisfaction after he was subbed in the 1-0 defeat to Inverness but since then he’s shown his mettle with a string of polished performances.

McNamara said: “After the second game we had a wee chat. He was disappointed when he came off, everyone noticed he was well put out by it but he’s an important part of the squad.